VIETNAM AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA

ONLY COIN OF TONKIN 

Tonkin was a French protectorate, that later became part of North Vietnam.  Tonkin issued only a single coin, a zinc 1/600 Piastre, (1/6 cent) dated 1905.   The coin, commonly called a Sapeque, was intended to replace the widely used Annamese cash coins in circulation.  It was struck in the style of a cash coin: round with a square hole.  One side of the coin had Chinese legends, the other had French legends.  The coin proved to be unpopular with the Vietnamese and most never entered circulation. The coin is Uncirculated, however it will have some spots as is typical of zinc coins.

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FRENCH INDO-CHINA SILVER COIN FEATURE STATUE OF LIBERTY 

Seated Liberty, based on The Statue of Liberty, is featured on this attractive 1937 silver 10 Cents of French Indo-China.  In addition to the Statue of Liberty that France presented to the United States, France erected a smaller version in Hanoi the same year. The Hanoi statue was destroyed in 1945 by supporters of Ho Chi Minh.  The reverse of the coin includes the denomination and silver content of the coins.  The 10 Centimes contains 2.7 grams of .680 fine silver.  The attractive coin was designed by famed French sculptor and medalist Jean Auguste Barre.  French Indo-China later became the independent nations of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

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WORLD WAR II COIN OF FRENCH INDO-CHINA  

Hanoi, the capital of French Indo-China  (now Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) fell to the Japanese on December 7, 1941, the same day Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.  The Japanese withdraw and melted the Annamese copper and brass cash coins in circulation in order to use their metal in the war effort. The cash coins were valued 1/5 to 1/6 of a cent and were widely used for small transactions. To replace them the Osaka mint in Japan struck a zinc 1/4 cent coin for French Indo-China in 1942. The coins bore the Vichy Government legend of "Etat Francais". We are pleased to offer you this historic World War II coin of French Indo-China.  

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SOUTH VIETNAM NOTES FEATURE MILITARY HEROES

By 1966 the Vietnam War was not going well. Over a decade after South Vietnam declared independence, fighting was still going on with no clear victor.  Perhaps in an attempt to reflect in the glories of successful military campaigns in the past, South Vietnam issued new banknotes depicting historical Vietnamese military heroes.  The notes did not carry a date. The red 100 Dong depicts Le Van Duyet on the front and his tomb on the back. A watermark of his head is to the right. Duyet was a general who helped put down a rebellion and unify Vietnam in the early 19th century.  Later, as viceroy for the southern part of unified Vietnam he helped bring peace and prosperity to that region. The blue 500 Dong depicts Tran Hung Dao on the front and his junk in the Battle of Bach Dang. To the right is a watermark of Dao. Dao repulsed three major invasions of Vietnam by the Mongols by Kublai Khan in late 13th century.

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SOUTH VIETNAM 1968 20 DONG FAO COIN

In 1968 South Vietnam issued this unusual 12-sided coin as part of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) coin program.  One side depicts a female farmer with a sheaf of rice in a rice paddy.  The legend "CHIEN-DICH THE-GIOI CHONG NAN DOI" translates as "World campaign against hunger". The other side features the denomination.   It was the highest denomination released into circulatoin by South Vietnam before it fell to the communists in 1975.  The nickel-clad steel coin was struck at the Hamburg mint and has a mintage of 500,000 pieces.  It is an attractive coin from a fallen nation.

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LAST BANKNOTE OF SOUTH VIETNAM

These undated 100 Dong banknote of South Vietnam was released in 1972, three years before the country fell to the communist North Vietnam.  IT was one of the last currency issued by South Vietnam.  The front depicts Independence Palace in Saigon, now known as Reunification Palace.  The Palace served as the home for the President of South Vietnam.  It was built on the site of the old Norodom Palace, which was heavily damaged in 1962 when it was bombed by South Vietnamese Air Force pilots attempting to assassinate President Ngo Dinh Diem.  On April 30, 1975 a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates of the palace, bringing an end to the Vietnam War.  The 100 Dong depicts a farmer and two water buffalo on the back and meausres 149 x 72mm. The note has a watermark of the head of a young woman.

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ATTRACTIVE SOCIALIST VIETNAM BANKNOTES

This two note set from Socialist Vietnam includes the brown 1987 200 Dong note which features a tractor and farm workers on the back and red 1988 500 Dong which depicts ships unloading at a dock on the back.  Both notes are 131mm x 65mm, have Ho Chi Minh on the front and have watermarks. 

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VIETNAMESE CLOTH RATION COUPON SHEETS

This cloth ration coupons were issued in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and are dated 1979.  In order to purchase cloth or clothing, one had to present the appropriate number of coupons.  Each sheet was good for 4 meters (about 13 feet) of material and contained 14 individual coupons with values ranging from 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) to 50 centimeters of material. Each sheet is made out to an individual. The pink ration coupons were issued to women.. The sheets of ration coupons are approximately 125mm x 85mm (5" x 3.5") and have a blank back.  The sheets have been redeemed however still contain all their individual coupons.  It is a rarely seen item that was issued not long after the fall of South Vietnam to the communists. 

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VIETNAM COIN SET  

In 2003 Vietnam released their first coins in over a quarter of a century.  An entire generation grew had grown up without ever using coins!  The government finally bowed to the requests of merchants and citizens who wanted the convenience of coins for use in vending machines. There were reports that many children who had never seen a coin before, tried to eat them thinking they were candy. Vietnam has not issued any coins for circulation since then. The brass 5000 Dong coin pictures the Chua Mot Cot temple in Hanoi. The brass 2000 Dong shows a traditional high-roofed house.   The brass 1000 Dong shows a temple in the ancient capital of Hue. The copper-nickel 500 and 200 Dong coins portray the denomination in large numerals.  All five coins are dated 2003 and show the arms Vietnam on the obverse.  The coins were minted a single year and circulated only briefly. Since then no further coins have beeen released for circulation.   Because of inflation they are no longer used.  The government has recalled them for melting, making them difficult to obtain.

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POLYMER NOTE SET FROM VIET NAM

This set of four current polymer notes from Socialist Republic of Vietnam includes the 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 Dong issued between 2012 and 2014.  The front of the notes all feature Ho Chi Minh and the arms of Vietnam.  The back of the 10,000 Dong note depicts offshore oil platforms.  The back of the scarce 20,000 Dong pictures the Japanese Bridge in Hoi An.  Hoi An was an important trading port until the 19th Century. The bridge was built in the 1600's by Japanese traders who lived on one side of the bridge, while the Vietnamese lived on the other.  It is the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist Pagoda attached to it.  The 50,000 Dong features old buildings in imperial capital of Hue.  A gate to the National University is on the back of the 10,000 Dong. The notes contain numerous anti-counterfeiting devices, including a "watermark", front/back registration marks, and a clear window that shows the denomination. 

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BEAUTIFUL OLD BANKNOTE OF THE KINGDOM OF LAOS

This beautiful and colorful Laotian 100 Kip note printed by the Bank of France was introduced in 1957.  The front features King Sisavang Vong, a chalice and Naga Dragons.  The back includes a woman in traditional costume with a bowl of roses.  Erawan, the three headed elephant appears in the coat of arms in the watermark. The large size note measures 170x107mm.  The note is Uncirculated but has staple holes as that is how they were often distributed the National Bank. We have a few original National Bank of Laos packs of 20 of the 100 Kip notes which we can offer at a wholesale price. I suspect few packs of these high denomination notes have survived.  Also available is the small Kingdom of Laos 1 Kip note released by the National Bank in 1962.  The brown note features a stylized mythological figure on the front and Erawan, the three headed elephant on the back.  The note measures 100x60mm

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COINS OF LAOS  

Laos is a landlocked nation bordering Vietnam.  It rarely issues coins for circulation.   In 1980  Laos issued its first coins for circulation in 28 years. These consisted of the 10, 20 and 50 Att, struck in aluminum and issued by the Lao People's Democratic Republic.  The designs of the coins feature the denomination in large numbers, with a small picture below. A woman holding grain is on the 10 Att, a farmer plowing is on the 20 Att and a fish is on the 50 Att.  The reverse features the national arms, which include a hammer and sickle.

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 PATHET LAO LIBERATION BANKNOTE 

In April 1968, the communist Pathet Lao forces introduced these notes in the areas of the Laos that they controlled.  Following their victory in 1975 the notes were used throughout Laos.  This red 10 Kip issued by the Patht Lao depicts nurses with patients and soldiers planting bamboo booby-traps. Maybe the nurses are treating the unintended victems of the booby-traps.

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LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC NOTE SET

In 1979 Laos introduced new notes to replace the Pathet Lao Liberation notes. The new notes continued to reflect the theme of Laotians at work. Also included is the national emblem on the front of each note. The 1 Kip depicts parading soldiers and students in school.  The 5 Kip shows shoppers in a store and logging elephants. The 10 Kip pictures workers at a lumber mill on one side; doctors performing surgery and a nurse checking a child on the other. The 20 Kip depicts a military tank, soldiers and a patrol boat on the Mekong River on the front and workers in a textile mill on the back.  The 50 Kip features farmers planting rice and the Nam Ngum hydroelectric dam. It was the first hydroelectric dam built in Laos.  It supplies most of Laos's electricity and sale of its electricity to Thailand is one of Laos's largest exports. The 100 Kip depicts farmers harvesting grain and a soldier guarding storage tanks.

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SMART AND LUCKY OLD CAMBODIAN COIN

The Chinese character “Chi” meaning “Luck” is depicted above a Hamza bird on the Cambodian 2 Pe (1/2 Fuang) minted about 1847.  The mythical Hamza bird represents knowledge, so the coin is both smart and lucky.  They were good skills for Cambodia to have at that time as both Vietnam and Thailand were trying to gain control the country through members of its royal family.  The undated, uniface copper coin is about 12mm in diameter.

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OLD CAMBODIAN SILVER COIN

This silver Fuang (1/8 Tical) was issued by the Kingdom of Cambodia about 1847.  The mythical Hamsa bird is pictured on this unusual, undated, uniface coin. The mythical Hamza bird represents knowledge..  The hand-struck coin is approximately 13mm in diameter and is probably the least expensive South-East Asian silver coin of that era.

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TRADITIONAL THEMES ON CAMBODIAN COINS 

In 1994, with the restoration of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the return of peace after decades of war, Cambodia issued its first coins for circulation in 15 years.  The four coin set consists of the steel 50, 100 and 200 Riels coins and the bi-metallic 500 Riels. The designs were largely taken from previous coin issues and feature traditional Cambodian themes. The 500 Riels features the Royal coat-of-arms that was used on the 50 Sen of 1959.  The 200 Riels has the Consititution and urn design that was used on the 1959 20 Sen coin.   The 100 Riels depicts a temple at Angkor Wat that was used on the unreleased 1970 1 Riel coin.  The 50 Riels pictures Independence Monument in Phnom Penh. It was built in 1958 to celebrate Cambodia's independence from France. Cambodian legends are on the reverse of each coin. 

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Joel Anderson
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Phone: 1 805 489 8045 | Fax: 1 805 299 1818
Email: orders@joelscoins.com

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